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‘I would’ve been a miserable world champion’
“I fear that I would have ended up being a world champion but a very depressed, sad and miserable world champion.”
Delicious Orie was highly sought after when he turned professional a year ago.
Following the Paris Olympics, a bidding war ensued despite the heavyweight failing to secure a medal.
Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions ultimately prevailed over Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, as well as interest from the WWE, to sign him.
He was poised to be the next prominent figure in heavyweight boxing. However, a month later, Orie shocked the boxing world by announcing his decision to retire from the sport.
“I wanted to pull out before the boxing exposed me,” the 28-year-old tells BBC Sport.
“I turned pro for the money, I needed the money, only to realise that money gives you a little bit of happiness, it really does, but it gives you zero fulfilment. Nothing. You feel nothing.”
Orie distinguished himself as an amateur fighter, despite only taking up the sport at the age of 18. Originally from Russia, he relocated to the UK with his family as a child.
He maintained high standards for himself, recognizing the opportunities available to him in the UK from a young age.
Orie dedicated years to joining Team GB and earning a consistent income from boxing. His objective, spanning nearly a decade, was to become an Olympic champion. When this goal was not realized, Orie experienced an internal shift, albeit subtle.
“There was no plan B, there was no other thing, it was just tunnel vision to win that medal,” he says.
“So the fact that I didn’t magnified the feeling even more when my hand wasn’t raised.
“I gave everything to the sport, I missed everything – happiness, birthdays, weddings, funerals, everything,” he adds.
“Knowing that I could never achieve that again when I didn’t have my hand raised, that was very sobering.”
‘No path forward’ – Orie announces shock retirement
Orie exited the Paris Olympics in the round of 16 against Armenia’s Davit Chaloyan.
Orie proceeded with plans for a professional career. Having aspired to be a millionaire since the age of 19, turning pro transformed his financial situation.
“I thought money [would] make me happy. I genuinely thought money is the answer to my emptiness,” he says.
“I worked eight years to get that money and I got that money. I got a lot of it and I was predicted to earn a lot more of it in the future, only to realise that I felt emptier.”
Orie found himself at a crossroads. His professional debut victory over Milos Veletic was intended as a straightforward opening bout. Instead, he struggled and failed to achieve the knockout anticipated by many.
During sparring sessions, he would get hit and question his motivations.
“I had to make a choice. I either stepped away when it was more or less too late – when in my third or fourth year I get knocked out by some up-and-coming guy who purely just wants it more than me,” he says.
“Or I have the power in my hands to step away and walk away from the things that I could have got.”
In addition to the safety concerns of continuing without full commitment, Orie worried about the deterioration of his mental health.
“You start to find other things that could be destructive instead of constructive. I’ve seen it countless times in boxing, the likes of Tyson Fury and the rest,” he says.
“I’ll be honest, I genuinely feel like that was the road I was going down.
“So I had to make a decision. I feel like I would have been really stupid to know that and still keep going for the money.”
Orie aims to serve as a role model for young men contemplating their life paths.
Orie is now working as a financial advisor. He has publicly discussed his decision to retire from boxing in an effort to assist other young individuals, particularly men, in pursuing fulfillment rather than financial gain.
He states that he made the decision to retire from boxing without consulting those close to him.
They were as surprised as the wider world, and Orie now believes that it was a mistake and that he should have been more forthcoming about his feelings.
“Being strong mentally doesn’t necessarily mean completely cutting off your emotions,” he says.
“The negative side of mental health comes when it’s been ignored and just put to the side. Then before you know it, it’s too late. I feel like education is key.”
For Orie, it came down to fulfillment. He aspires to be a role model, much like Anthony Joshua was to him at the London 2012 Olympics.
“Pushing on any more would just be me seeking validation from others externally and it wouldn’t give me the fulfilment that my soul yearned and needed,” he adds.
“I’m not special, I’m just the person who likes a target and a goal and wants to achieve that and gets a real sense of fulfilment.
“It took me to step away from millions of pounds to realise that that’s it. The whole point of life is to chase.”
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